Please note: Material provided in this report is chosen subjectively and included at the discretion of the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The ability to report on a given event is limited by the amount of information available to NCDC at the time of publication. Inclusion of a particular event does not constitute a greater importance in comparison with an event that has not been incorporated into the discussion. Data included in this report are preliminary unless otherwise stated. Links to supporting information are valid at the time of publication, but they are not maintained or changed after publication.

The biggest fires were located in the Texas Panhandle, with
Gray and Hutchinson counties among the hardest-hit. Other
significant fire activity was reported in Oklahoma by the
16th.

A severe long-term drought continued throughout areas of
Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. In Kenya, an estimated 3.5 million
people were in need of food aid (Associated Press). Rainfall during
the first week of March in Kenya did little to alleviate long-term
dryness. In southern Somalia, nearly 2.1 million people were in
need of critical food assistance as the drought was characterized
as the worst in ten years. Similarly, nearly 2 million people in
neighboring southern Ethiopia were in urgent need of food
assistance due to drought (OCHA). For the latest African analysis
and forecast, see the Famine
Early Warning System Network.

Heavy rain/thunderstorms and strong winds occurred in areas of
Peru during late February and early March 2006. By early March,
over 65 houses had been destroyed displacing an estimated 325
people in northern Peru's Tumbes department. In the southern part
of the country, additional flooding and mudslides were reported
(IFRC).

Across central and southern Malawi, heavy rainfall in early
March produced flooding that left 8,000 people homeless. The floods
occurred in the country's prime tourist district located in the
southern Mangochi region. Flooding in the Mangochi district was
reportedly the worst in 28 years (Associated Press).

In Australia, heavy rainfall along the east coast stranded
thousands of people on the 3rd. Around 2,500 residents of the city
of Bellingen in northern New South Wales were temporarily isolated
by river flooding (AFP).

Exceptionally heavy rain since
February 2006 in Hawaii caused flooding and a dam failure in
Kilauea on the 14th, forcing the release of around 1.1 million
cubic meters (300 million gallons) of water. There were at least
two fatalities and seven reported missing (CNN).

In Ecuador, heavy rainfall which began in February 2006
continued into the first week of March through coastal sections of
the country. Over 11,000 families totaling over 50,000 people were
severely affected by flooding. There were nine reported fatalities
(OCHA).

In Bangladesh, a severe thunderstorm produced a deadly tornado
that affected six villages of Bagerhat District in the southern
part of the country on the 4th. The tornado destroyed approximately
500 dwellings and uprooted hundreds of trees. More than 500
families were affected, with 4 deaths and more than 50 injuries
reported (IFRC).

In the Democractic Republic of Congo (DRC), a severe
thunderstorm produced a possible tornado that impacted the town of
Oicha. There were 3 confirmed deaths and 66 injuries, and more than
1,000 building sustained damage (OCHA).

In Germany, two people were killed and 80,000 homes suffered
power outages when a tornado struck the northern city of Hamburg
late on the 27th. The storm ripped off roofs and overturned several
cars. Around 300,000 people in Hamburg spent the night without
electricity (AFP).

Tropical Cyclone Diwa developed in the
south Indian Ocean east of Madagascar on the 4th, passing
approximately 230 km (140 miles) to the west of Reunion Island
(France) on the 5th. Heavy rainfall and winds gusting as high as
120 km/hr (65 knots or 75 mph) occurred on the island, producing
power outages to 10,000 homes and water utilities interruptions to
20,000 (AFP).

Tropical Cyclone Larry developed in
the Coral Sea on the 18th, reaching Australia's Queensland coast
just south of Cairns near Innisfail on the 20th. Maximum sustained
winds at the time of landfall were at least 185 km/hr (100 knots or
115 mph) with gusts as high as 290 km/hr (155 knots or 180 mph).
While there were no fatalities, there were 30 injuries with damage
to over 55 percent of the homes in Innisfail (Associated Press).
The cyclone was described as one of the most powerful cyclones to
hit Australia in decades, wiping out nearly 90 percent of the
banana crop in the center of Australia's banana production region
(Reuters).

Tropical Cyclone Glenda developed in
the Timor Sea off the northern tip of Western Australia on the
27th. Glenda reached the coast of Western Australia on the 30th,
making landfall near Onslow (located about 1,390 km or 860 miles
north of Perth) with maximum sustained winds near 195 km/hr (105
knots or 120 mph). The cyclone prompted evacuations, closed oil
fields and raised concerns of signficant flooding in the region
(Reuters).

A major storm system that affected southeastern Europe during
March 12-14 brought a variey of inclement weather to sections of
Bulgaria, Romania and Greece and Turkey. In the Romanian capital of
Bucharest, one person was killed and two injured when strong winds
uprooted a tree. Around 50 automobiles were damaged due to downed
trees caused by gusty winds. Strong winds cut power to over 300
towns across the country. Flooding also affected the region, with
thousands of homes flooded in parts of Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey
(AFP/BBC News).

In the United Kingdom, an outbreak of cold, Arctic air affected
northern sections of the country on the 1st. Snow fell across
Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland where accumulations of up to
12 cm (5 inches) were observed, forcing the closure of many schools
and businesses. Temperatures fell to -6°C (21°F) at
Sennybridge in Wales (BBC News).

A major winter storm affected the parts of the U.S. Great
Plains during March 17-20. Heavy accumulations of snow affected a
large area from parts of Colorado and Wyoming eastward into North
and South Dakota and Kansas. Nebraska was particularly hard-hit,
with snow accumulations of up to 76 cm (30 inches). The snow caused
many travel disruptions and closed many schools and businesses
(Associated Press).